


You Don't Own Me

by OneMoreNight1996



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty Cooper & Toni Topaz Friendship, Bisexual Betty Cooper, Breaking Up & Making Up, F/F, F/M, Southside Serpent Betty Cooper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-11-09 08:19:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17998277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneMoreNight1996/pseuds/OneMoreNight1996
Summary: After the break-up Jughead leaves Betty in the parking lot of the Whyte Wyrm. Toni finds her and offers to take her home, which begins a tale of friendship, love and learning to change.





	1. The Night Everything Changed

**Author's Note:**

> In this fic the merger between Riverdale High and Southside High happened earlier so they all go to the same school.

Toni Topaz had decided she had had it with the party at the Wyrm. Everyone was drunk and it was devolving into an annoying show of male testosterone and stupidity. She grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair and got up to leave. Fangs and Sweet Pea looked at her.

"You leaving Topaz?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Yeah, I should get home before my uncle decides to lock me out again. I'll see you tomorrow." Toni said and continued to make her way to the door. Once she was outside she leaned on her bike and pulled out her pack of smokes. She pulled one out and had just got it lit when she heard it. It sounded like someone crying faintly so she looked around. She didn't see anyone so she got her switchblade out and followed the sound. She walked slowly toward the side of the building where the sound was coming from and came face to face with Betty Cooper.

Toni took a deep breath thankful it wasn't some Ghoulie trying to start trouble and put her blade away. She studied Betty, as she didn't seem to notice Toni standing there. She had tracks of mascara down her face as if she had been crying and she was leaning on the side of the building with her knees tucked up by her chin. She was holding herself stiff as if she was trying to hide, and Toni wandered what had happened. As she was about to turn and go get Jones to sort this out Betty looked up at her. Her green eyes stared into Toni's for a minute before she turned away again and Toni couldn't just leave her there. She walked closer and kneeled by her. She touched her knee to get her attention.

"Are you okay Betty? Do you want me to go get Jones?" Toni asked. Betty shook her head and used her hand to wipe the tears off her face.

"No, he doesn't want to see me Toni. He's mad I did the Serpent Dance. He broke up with me." Betty said and she sucked in a breath. Toni rolled her eyes and cursed the stupidity of men.

"He just left you here with no way home?" She asked. Betty sighed and shrugged.

"I don't think he thought about it, but my mom already left." She said. Toni grabbed her hands and pulled her up off the ground.

"Okay, since Jones is an idiot I'll give you a ride home. Come on." She said. Betty looked reluctant to go with her so Toni sighed. "It's okay Cooper, I can drive just as well as Jughead."

"It's not that." Betty said looking at her feet. "It's just I think my mom is pretty pissed about the dance too and I'm just not sure I'm ready for a patented Alice Cooper Lecture on proper behavior."

Toni studied her for a long minute then said, "Okay, why don't you stay with me tonight and deal with everything in the morning."

"I don't want to impose." Betty said. Toni just pulled her over to her bike and put a helmet in her hand.

"Its not a problem."

The ride to Toni's trailer was quick. They got off the bike and Toni opened the door quietly motioning for Betty to watch the creaky step. they made their way quietly to Toni's room and closed the door. Toni started digging in her closet for PJs and finally came up with a pair she handed to Betty which were pink and had bunnies on them. Betty raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Toni just threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt and climbed in bed. When Betty finally got changed Toni patted the bed next to her and Betty wrung her hands together causing Toni to roll her eyes.

"Come on Betty. I don't bite. Its just like having a sleepover with any of your friends. I'm not trying to come on to you." She said. Betty blushed and looked at the ground.

"Sorry."

"Just get in the bed." She said. Betty crawled in next to her and they were laying facing each other.

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to own pajamas like this." Betty said pulling at the baby pink fabric. Toni laughed.

"Fangs got them for me as a joke for my last birthday, Said I needed a little more pink in my wardrobe to match the hair." She said Betty smiled and touched her own hair.

"I think my mother would die if I ever did that to my hair. She's always talking about how we should maintain our image, and how if we don't look a certain way people are going to start thinking we're not good girls. It's like she thinks the world is going to end if I stop wearing my hair a certain way." Betty said quietly. Toni got the feeling that she was only saying it to her because she knew that she wouldn't tell her mom. She felt safe enough to say it to Toni because it could never get back to her family.

"Well what do you think? It's your life Betty, and you're only in high school, This is the time to make mistakes and figure out who you are. this is the time to dye your hair a crazy color or get caught staying out to late, because you've only got so much time before you have to grow up and be an adult. Live a little and forget what your parents expect of you." Toni said. Betty looked at her with wide eyes.

"I don't want to disappoint them." She said quietly.

"From what you just said they'll always find something to be disappointed about Betty. This is your chance to choose what you want to do. Don't worry about what your parents or your friends expect, what do you want?" Toni said. Betty looked at her like she had said something mind blowing. Toni shrugged the best she could lying down and smiled at her. "Just something to think about." She said before she turned over and flipped the lights off.

* * *

 

The next day Betty woke up and rolled over to find the bed empty. She smelled coffee and figured Toni couldn't be far so she walked out of the room and down the small hallway to find Toni sitting at the small kitchen table. She glanced up when Betty walked in and motioned to the mugs. Betty got herself a cup before she sat down next to Toni.

"Thanks for letting me stay last night." She said. Toni looked at her and shrugged.

"It's no big deal Betty." She said going back to reading the paper in front of her. Betty looked around the room and her eyes caught on a machine in the corner. She knew what it was and an idea sparked in her head so she turned back to Toni.

"You know what you said last night about doing something for me and not worrying about my parents?" She asked. Toni acknowledge her with a nod not looking away from her book. "Well if I did something to my hair like you, my mom would just drag me to the salon to have it bleached but what about something more permanent." Toni looked up at her rolling her eyes to the machine.

"Seriously Betty, You want a tattoo?" Toni asked incredulously. Betty nodded and looked back at her.

"Its something my parents cant take away and I know you can do them, Jug told me you did his." She said feeling sad as she mentioned Jughead. Toni looked at her for a minute as if she expected her to change her mind.

"Are you sure you're not doing this because of Jones?" Toni asked. Betty sighed and shook her head.

"It's not because of him Toni. He broke up with me because he wanted to protect me and I understand where he's coming from because I did the same thing but this isnt because of him. it's because you were right least night, and I need to do something for myself and not worry about anyone else." Betty said. Toni shrugged and walked over to the tattoo gun she had and motioned Betty over.

"How about a serpent tattoo? You passed initiation, you deserve it." Toni said. Betty shook her head.

"Jug didn't want me to join Toni, he'd be mad if he found out." Shew said quickly. Toni laughed and looked at her.

"Look I respect Jughead, but he's and idiot. You passed initiation, you're one of us whether he likes it or not, besides I thought we already decided that this was for you and no one else." Toni said and pulled Betty over to her. Betty was hesitant but as she looked at Toni who was strong and did what she wanted not caring what others thought of her she found herself wanting to be a little more like her.So she took a leap of faith.

"Okay, screw it, Lets do it." She looked a Toni. "Where should I get it?"

"Oh definitely the thigh." She smiled. Betty lifted her leg and propped it up with Toni's guidance so she could reach it. Betty watched as the lines appeared on her skin and thought to herself.Maybe a little change isn't so bad after all.


	2. The Jacket

Betty was laying in her bed, staring at the pink floral walls and thinking, she wasn't the girl who fit this room anymore. She had seen to much to consider herself the sweet girl next door anymore but she knew that it was all about appearances to her parents. If they appeared to be the perfect family with the perfect life then it wouldn't give anyone a reason to look deeper, never mind the fact that the had a runaway pregnant teenage daughter and the fact that her parents could hardly stand to speak to each other. She would sit at the table for breakfast and just wait for it all to boil over but her parents were the best pretenders. When she thought about it she wanted to scream and rant at them, to tell them to stop pretending everything was okay, but as long as she sat quietly and dressed the way the wanted and answered questions in the right way her parents were happy and content in the fact that she wasn't going to cause a scandal like Polly. It was like they didn't even really notice her unless she did something they didn't approve of, as long as she upheld the Cooper family name and continued to act like everything was normal they didn't care. Even if everything was falling apart, its like a train derailed in their living room but everyone wanted to pretend like it wasn't there. Betty was beginning to understand why Polly wanted to leave, why she said the sent her to the sisters because they couldn't control her anymore. But Betty was going to show them that she wasn't going to pretend anymore. She had an outfit that Toni had shoved in her hands when she was leaving with the parting comment,  _you've got to cool it with the pastels, show your parents that they don't own you._

Betty also had a jacket buried deep in her bag with the Serpent emblem on the back, given to her by Toni after she had finished the tattoo on Betty's thigh. She couldn't stop looking at it even now, it was so permenant and she loved that. It made her feel powerful and like she really could stand up to her parents. She was a little nervous about it because she knew when her mom found out about it, she was going to be pissed but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about getting it. She was abruptly brought out of her thoughts by a knock on her door, she hastily covered her legs with the blanket and looked up just as her mom came in the room. 

"What do you need mom?" She asked casually. Her mom took in her form sitting on the bed and sighed.

"I know that you think you're all grown up and the stunt you pulled the other night was your way of rebelling but you can't just stay out all night Elizabeth. I know you're young and in love but you can't spend the night at Jughead's without even calling. I don't want you to end up like Polly." She said. Betty refrained from rolling her eyes and instead looked at the comforter over her legs.

"I won't end up like Polly. Jug and I split last night anyway so you won't have to worry about that anymore, anyway. I know your probably happy about that." She said. She felt the bed move as her mom sat down and took her hands.

"I'm sorry you're hurting Betty. I didn't know you two had split." Her mom shifted and used her hand to raise Betty's chin. "Where did you stay last night then? Were you safe?"

"Yeah, I was safe. I stayed with Toni actually." Betty said.

"Oh, Jughead's little biker friend." She said. Betty heard the judgement she was trying to hold back in her voice. "I don't know if i like you associating with a girl like that."

"She's actually really nice, mom. She was there for me and she's my friend." Betty said. She made sure her mom was looking at her and continued, "She's going to be in my life and I hope you can accept that. Remember you said the same thing about Veronica and she isn't bad. Just give Toni a chance, I think you'll really like her."

"Okay Betty, I'll try." She sighed and got up from the bed to walk to the door."But next time you decide to stay somewhere all night, at least call and let me know."

 

* * *

The next day when Betty woke up she took a shower and decided that if she was going to defy her parents in the way she was dressed then she'd leave her hair down as well. She could hear her mom's voice in her head saying  _Betty your hair looks messy, lets pull it up._ It was all she had heard during her childhood and it had followed her into her teenage years. That was the thing about her mother, everything had to be neat and clean and everything had its place. She was likely to have a meltdown if everything wasn't perfect, and that included her daughters. So it was pastel colors and ponytails so that she always looked ready to be presented to people, Betty was tired of it so she dried her hair styled it with a few loose curls and moved on. As she got dressed she found herself thankful that her parents were out chasing a story because she wouldn't have made it two steps in her outfit before her mother had forced her into a sweater and jeans.

Betty looked at herself in the mirror and was a little stunned. She didn't look like the sweet girl next door, she looked powerful and maybe a little dangerous and she liked it. She was wearing a black long sleeved T-shirt that hugged her body, tucked into black leather shorts with fishnets underneath. To top it off was the serpent jacket and black ankle boots. She loved the way the outfit made her feel and way happy her mother wasn't home to force her to change. She wondered if this was how Polly felt the first time she snuck out to see Jason, and she started to understand the power in defying her parents perfect standards. Betty added a red lip to the look and grabbed her bag to leave before she could talk her self out of it. The best and most nerve racking part of the outfit was that her tattoo kind of peeked out from her shorts and she knew there would be no hiding it from anyone.

Betty had agreed to meet Toni before school so that she had so emotional support when she walked in, so when she got to the school she leaned on the wall and waited fro Toni to arrive. She thought she looked like one of the kids in the movies that everyone expected to be trouble, leaning against the school with her leather jacket and bad ass outfit, all that was missing was a cigarette dangling from her hand. She rolled her eyes at that line of thought because it was probably what people thought when they saw the serpents just hanging out and it annoyed her because she knew that most of them were completely harmless. She heard the roar of a motorcycle and turned to see Toni pulling in. She started to make her way over and Toni looked her up and down.

"I knew that outfit would suit you, you look like a total smoke show." She said and Betty blushed.

"I like it. I makes me feel like i could do anything." She said. Toni smiled and pulled her along to the side of the building where they resumed leaning together.

"I think that's how you should feel your whole life. Like you can do anything, because if you believe it then you can reach it. That's my philosophy." Toni said. Betty nodded.

"I could get behind that." She said and they both laughed. It lapsed into silence after that but it wasn't awkward, but a comfortable silence as they waited for others to arrive. When cars and buses started pulling in Betty started getting nervous and spun to look at Toni.

"Okay, I can't do this. At home looking in a mirror is different from being in front of all these people." She said quickly. Toni grabbed her face and looked at her.

"Look at me. You are going to march in there with your head held high. Remember, this isn't about anyone else okay. This is about you, standing up for yourself and showing everyone that they can't define you. This is about you feeling powerful and free to live your own life and not the one that everyone else has laid out for you okay? You can do this and I will be right there by your side, you are not alone." Toni said seriously. Betty stared at her for a moment taking deep breaths in and out.

"What if Jug gets mad about the jacket? Or the other serpents?" She asked. Toni rolled her eyes.

"If they have a problem, they can take it up with me but you're one of us Betty. I won't stand by and let you deal with it alone okay? First Law, no serpent stands alone remember?" She said. Betty nodded and took a deep breath the stood straight.

"Okay, into the belly of the beast." She said and Toni nodded.

"Let's do this."

They turned and marched to the doors of the school. When they stepped in everyone was still in the hall, talking in groups at their lockers and at first no one seemed to notice them but as they walked further into the school the heard the whispering start,  _Is that Betty Cooper? With a Serpent?_

As they made their way to their lockers slowly everyone started to stare and eyes followed them, when they turned the corner Betty took a deep breath because Veronica and Archie were standing nest to Jug and the other serpents at the end of the hall. She felt Toni put a reassuring hand on her back and she started moving forward again. She knew the exact moment when Veronica saw her because her face registered shock and her mouth formed the words  _Oh My God,_ which prompted everyone standing with her to turn and see Betty. She saw everyone's reaction in quick succession, shock, disbelief, anger until Jug started moving toward her. Toni stepped up beside her ready to jump in at any moment but Betty froze on the spot and waited for him to reach her.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked quietly. Sweet Pea and Fangs close behind him.

"Walking, is that a problem?" Toni snapped. Jughead rolled his eyes and grabbed Betty's jacket lightly.

"I meant this. I thought I told you to go home that night, I'm trying to protect you and instead you go and put this on? It's like putting a target on you." He said.

"It's not up to you Jug, it's my choice what I risk, and for whom." Betty said.

"I want you to take this off Betty. This is a bad idea." He said. Betty shook her head and Toni moved in front of her.

"You don't have the right to tell her to take her jacket off. FP put a jacket on her that night and that's good enough for me. She's one of us Jones, and you don't have the right tell her she isn't. So back off before I put you on the ground." She said. She reached back and grabbed Betty's hand to pull her along. "Come on Betty, we'll talk to him when he's done with his tantrum."

Toni pilled Betty along behind her until the reached the office for the Blue and Gold. Everything was blurry and Betty relaxed it was because of the tears in her eyes. Toni pulled her in for a hug and ran her hands through her hair. They stayed in that position until she got the tears to slow and she moved away. Toni looked at her with concern.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Betty shrugged.

"He hates me." She said quietly. Toni grabbed her hand and rubbed it comfortingly.

"He doesn't hate you Betty. He just needs a little time to get his head out of his ass and realize that you're not some fragile thing he needs to protect and that you can take care of yourself, but he'll get there eventually. Jones may be a lot of things but he isn't stupid and once he gets past his stubborn need to shield you from everything he'll come running back. You guys are meant to be, no doubt in my mind about it." She said. Betty sighed and looked at her.

"What if he doesn't like how i'm changing?" She asked.

"Then he doesn't deserve you. You may have changed your hair and your clothes, but you're still the same person and if her can't see that then he can just go and fuck himself." Toni said and Betty laughed. "There we go. No more tears."

Toni reached over to wipe the tears off her face and the door opened. They both turned to look and saw Veronica. She took in their position, they were sitting close to each other and Toni still had Betty's hand in hers and her other hand on Betty's face and they both realized how intimate it looked when Veronica raised an eyebrow, causing them to scoot away from each other. Veronica studied them and shrugged.

"Hey if you want to move on from Jug to her, I'm not judging." Veronica said. Betty rolled her eyes.

"We're just friends V." She said. Toni grinned and looked at her.

"Aw, you don't love me then. I'm going to go home and cry in my pillow over this tragedy." Toni joked. Betty shoved her and they all started laughing. When they calmed down, Veronica sat down next to them.

"I just wanted to check on you, it seemed pretty intense out there." She said and Toni rolled her eyes.

"Jones is just being a little bit of a jerk. He means well but he goes about it in the wrong way." She said.

"He's not happy about the jacket, or me joining the serpents." Betty said.

"Well I think you look great in the jacket and he needs to get over it." Veronica said. "By the way Archie isn't to happy about the jacket either. He says he thinks you're making a mistake."

"It's none of his business!" Betty exclaimed.

"I told him that, but just a warning he'll probably have something to say about it the next time you see him." She warned.

"Boys are stupid, probably one of the reasons I prefer girls." Toni said. They all laughed and Betty glanced at the clock.

"We need to get to class." She said. They all stood and made their way to the door. Toni turned to her and touched her arm lightly.

"Are you ready for this?" She asked. Betty nodded and Toni smiled "Alright, but if anyone gives you a hard time, let me know and i'll deal with them."

With that they opened the door and walked down the hall together, somehow Betty knew that with them by her side she would be able to face anything.

 


	3. Troublemaker

Betty walked into the student lounge with Veronica and spotted Toni talking to Sweet Pea and Fangs on the other side of the room. She smiled and nodded in acknowledgement but didn't want to interrupt their conversation so she moved to the snack machine passing Archie and Jughead on the way who looked like they were having an intense conversation that she expected was probably about her. She rolled her eyes and kept moving without acknowledging either of them. When she finally made it to the snack machine Veronica leaned on the wall next to her to observe everyone in the room. Betty stuck a dollar in the machine and got a candy bar out. She opened it and leaned next to Veronica and looked out at everyone.

"Don't get me wrong Betty, I love the jacket but where do you see this going? I mean you wanted to join because of Jughead and you guys aren't together anymore." Veronica said. Betty sighed and turned her head to look at Jughead who had just walked away from Archie with anger on his features.

"I did want to join for him, but now that I have the jacket and Toni it's like i'm part of something bigger than myself. It makes me feel like I have control over something in my life you know, like i'm not just some perfect cutout that my parents can manipulate and control." Betty rubbed the arm of her jacket between her fingers and blew out a breath. "Plus, maybe wearing this jacket and hanging with the serpents will show Jughead that I'm not some fragile little thing that's going to break."

"Well I'm all for it. I know that deep down Jug knows you can take care of yourself but he has this intense need to protect you, once he lets that go a little bit he'll realize that you don't need a knight in shining armor, He just needs to relax a little." Veronica said. Betty nodded in agreement and turned to see Toni coming over.

"So anyone I need to kick the crap out of yet?" She asked.

"Nah, people just like to stare, but nobody has said anything yet. I think they're all shocked into silence." Betty said

"As they should be. You look amazing in that, you probably fried their simple little brains." Toni said and Betty blushed.

"I'm just saying you guys would be a total power couple." Veronica said jokingly. They both pushed her lightly while she laughed. Betty felt a presence behind her and turned to see Reggie Mantle standing way to close to her so she took a small step back and looked at him.

"Something I can do for you Reggie?" She asked. He looked at Toni and Veronica behind her and rolled his eyes.

"Take off that jacket, Cooper." He said. Betty looked him up and down and frowned.

"Excuse me?" She asked in anger.

"I said, take off that serpents jacket. It's bad enough that they come to our school, they aren't going to take our girls too. Take it off." He said, trying to use his height to intimidate her. Betty heard movement behind her and a quick glance told her that Sweet Pea and Fangs had joined them with Jughead not far behind.

"I am not a piece of property and I am not your girl, nor will I ever be. The serpents haven't stolen me away, I chose to go to them which is none of your damn business by the way, and I don't intend to take of this jacket so why don't you run along to your little pack of friends." Betty said. Reggie moved closer to her as if he was going to force her to take it off himself when unexpectedly Sweet Pea came up next to her and blocked his way.

"You lay an hand on her and I'm going to have to put you on the ground. Serpents protect their own." He said. Betty's nails were digging into her palms so hard she knew there would be blood when she looked. Reggie was looking at all of them and seemed to be evaluating his next move. He knew he wouldn't win if he pushed it but something in his eyes didn't want to give up, Betty held her breath waiting to see what he would do. She saw his eyes roam over all of them then settle on her.

"Oh okay I get it, you joined the serpents, but I've got a question for you Betty. They all seem so ready to defend you, is that because they all get to pass you around like a little toy? I bet you and Topaz are smoking together. Can I watch?" Reggie barely finished the sentence before Betty's fist connected. It all happened so fast Betty was a little shocked to see the blood flowing from Reggie's nose. The next thing she registered was the pain in her hand, she shook it a little but knew it would probably bruise. It was then she became aware that everyone was staring at her and she turned to Veronica and Toni who were staring at her with open mouths, and Sweet Pea and Fangs looked a little impressed with her but Jughead was staring at her like he was seeing her for the first time. Toni recovered first and pulled her away from where Moose Mason was trying to stop the bleeding by shoving crumpled up tissue straight up Reggie's nose.

"Okay, the was a hell of a right hook Betty. Who knew you could throw a punch like that?" Toni said. Veronica snorted trying to stifle her laughing.

"Well I for one strongly support punching Reggie in the face. He had no right to say something so disgusting, but I'm hoping you didn't hurt your hand to much. The first time I punched someone I broke my hand." She stated as if she wasn't talking about assaulting someone.

"I think I'm fine V." Betty said.

"Betty Cooper, my office, now!" Weatherbee seemed to come out of nowhere and Betty threw a look at Reggie and just knew she was about to get suspended if not worse, but God did it feel good to put Reggie Mantle in his place.

"Good luck." Toni said sarcastically. Betty gave her a mock salute and followed Weatherbee out of the room. As she walked down the hall behind him she noticed he seemed really tense. When they got to his office she sat across the desk from him and waited for the lecture.

Weatherbee seemed to be studying her intently before he got up and left the room again. Betty stared at the door in confusion, was she expected to sit here and wait for him or did he expect her to follow him. She decided to stay there so she looked around the room. He had a bookshelf with little knicknacks on it as well as what she presumed to be his diploma. The books were thick and heavy looking and she was about to stand up to study them closer when the door reopened and Weatherbee came back in. He handed her an ice pack which she put on her hand, since he seemed to expect it. She could already see bruises starting to form under the skin. He leaned forward onto the desk and finally started speaking.

"Betty, I know you're a good kid. You want to tell me what happened with Mr. Mantle?" He asked. Betty took in his expression and sighed.

"He was saying some nasty things about me and my friends, I just lost my temper." She said. He hummed and nodded.

"Your serpent friends?" He asked. Betty glanced at him and shrugged.

"Does it matter? Reggie basically called me a slut and said he didn't want the serpents in his school, like he thinks he owns this place. Someone needed to say something to him. I shouldn't have hit him but maybe now he'll leave us alone." Betty said. Weatherbee leaned back and sighed.

"Look Betty, I know you were upset but it is against school policy to physically assault another student so I'm going to have to take action against you. Three days suspension." He said. Betty nodded and grabbed her bag but he stopped her when he spoke again. "I expected more from you Betty. I've got to say, I'm disappointed."

Betty took in the look on his face and the way he was studying to emblem on her back and scoffed. "So the 4.0, organizing the dance, cheerleading, the newspaper. It all means nothing now because I wear this jacket? I'm a disappointment because I made a choice to be a part of something?"

"I just hope you know what you're doing Miss Cooper. It would be a shame if you got stuck on the Southside with a baby on your hip. You are so much better than that." He said. Betty stared at him in disbelief.

"I can't believe you would say something like that. The kids from the Southside are your students just as much as everyone else, they deserve to have people believe in them like they do Cheryl Blossom or Reggie Mantle. You are supposed to treat them the same but I can see know that you don't. You shouldn't be disappointed in me, you should be disappointed in yourself." Betty swung the door open before she spun to face him again. "And if I end up on the Southside with a baby on my hip then at least it'll be my choice."

The sound of the door slamming echoed in the hallway and Betty stomped her way to her locker. She took the books she would need to study out of her locker and texted Veronica to collect her schoolwork for her while she was out then she slammed the locker and continued down the hall. As she turned the corner towards the doors she saw Jughead standing next to them. She sighed and stopped walking. They just looked at each other for a moment. Betty noticed that he looked tired and she wanted to ask if their breakup was keeping him awake like it was her but she didn't want to make the situation even more awkward than it already was so she just kept her mouth shut and waited for him to speak.

"So, you got suspended?" He asked. She nodded and looked down at her feet. "Okay, we won't talk about that. I really just wanted to catch you before you left, because I wanted to apologize. You and Toni were right, I can't tell you not to wear that jacket and I can't expect you to walk away from the serpents."

"I don't know why you're so against me being a serpent. They're good people, and I like them, They make me feel like I can be myself and they won't judge." Betty said.

"I know, but not all serpents are like Toni, Sweet Pea and Fangs. Some of them are nasty and dangerous." He said.

"You mean Penny Peabody." She looked up and him. "I can handle myself Jug, I'm not some porcelain doll that's going to shatter."

"I don't want you to get hurt." He said and she looked at him. He was pleading with his eyes for her to walk away from all of it but she knew he wouldn't voice it. She knew that he knew she had already made her choice and this was his last ditch effort to get her to reconsider. She shrugged on her bag and pushed the doors open. She turned to him and smiled.

"I'll be okay Jug, I don't need your protection I can handle myself, you'll see."


	4. Mommy Dearest

When Betty stepped through her front door she threw her backpack on the couch and made her way to the kitchen. She was still annoyed by the attitude that Weatherbee had shown toward the serpents and her hand was throbbing so she was already having a bad day, but she figured having something prepared for when her parents got home would soften the blow of her suspension. She quickly took off her jacket and hung it on the back of the chair next to the counter and started on making some brownies. As she mixed the ingredients she thought about what had happened that day, she hadn't realized it at the time because she was pissed at Reggie but Sweet Pea had called her a serpent. He and Fangs had accepted her as one of them without even asking questions and it was a little refreshing after Jughead was constantly trying to keep her at arms length. She smiled as she slid the brownies into the oven to bake, she decided she liked being a serpent. It was like gaining a family in a way, where everyone took care of each other.

She was brought out of her daydreaming by the door swinging open. She spun to see her mother standing there with her arms crossed and glaring at Betty. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"What are you doing home?" Betty exclaimed.

"Principal Weatherbee called me to inform me that my daughter was hanging out with serpents and punching football players in the face." She said, her gaze zeroing in on the jacket hanging over the chair next to Betty. "I won't have you making the same mistakes I did Betty, you aren't wearing that anymore."

Betty scoffed. "You can't tell me what to wear, I'm my on person not just a doll to play dress up with."

"Don't be naive Betty, wearing that jacket and hanging out with those people will get you nowhere." She stated. Betty rolled her eyes.

"They're my friends mom, I'm not hanging out with them because I hope to gain anything or because I think they'll get me something. I actually happen to like them." She said. Her mother came closer and looked at what she was wearing.

"Is this really how you want people to remember you Elizabeth? The impressions you put out right now will follow you forever." She said.

"You were a serpent and no one seemed to remember that, but maybe that's because you keep taking shots at them in the Register and blaming them for things they had nothing to do with." She said angrily.

"I left the serpents for a reason Elizabeth. They're all criminals." She said and Betty rolled her eyes.

"They're not criminals mom, they protect the southside. They're always hauled in by the cops because people find reasons to blame them for everything that goes wrong in this town, when really the north side is just as bad. We keep secrets and tell lies to everyone, at leas t the serpents are honest about what they are. They wear the symbol on their backs for everyone to see and I'm proud to do the same." Betty said.

"You won't be wearing that jacket anymore Betty. And don't think I didn't see the tattoo, whoever did that is in a lot of trouble. I didn't give you permission for that." She said.

"It's my body, you can't tell me what to do with it." Betty stated.

"I am your mother and you will do what I say. I want you to wash that makeup off your face and put on a respectable outfit. I will not have my daughter running around looking like some two cent whore." She said and Betty gasped.

"I can't believe you just said that to me." She said.

"I only stated the truth, Elizabeth. Now go change." She said and Betty shook her head.

"No." She said as she grabbed the jacket and slipped it back over her shoulders. "Polly was right, you don't like that you can't control me anymore so you're lashing out. Well you know what, I'm not going to be your little puppet anymore. I am tired of trying to be this perfect daughter because no matter what I do it will never be good enough for you."

With that Betty brushed past her mother and went out the door making sure to slam it on the way and started walking toward the southside. She texted Toni to pick her up but she couldn't just sit in front of her house and wait. she wanted to get as far from her house as she could for at least a few hours. She had only made it about a mile before she heard Toni's motorcycle. She pulled up to the curb and handed Betty the extra helmet without saying anything. Betty swung her leg over the bike and held on as Toni pulled out and drove them to the Whyte Wyrm. Betty was thankful that she wasn't asking questions as she followed her i to the bar. Toni apparently had a shift because she walked behind the bar and pulled an apron around her waist. She poured a drink and sat it in front of Betty.

"I'm not going to ask if you don't want to talk about it Betty. Believe me there is no shortage of shitty families around here." Toni said and Betty smiled at her.

"Thank you for coming to get me Toni." She said.

"No problem. You know you can always call me." She said as she moved away to serve the others at the bar.

Betty found herself studying her surroundings. She had only been here once the night of FP's party and hadn't really had the chance to look around. She noticed the pool table in the corner seemed particularly popular because there was a large group gathered around it and Betty knew they must have been betting on the match. Her eyes roamed the room and she noticed that a lot of the younger serpents were gathered at a small collection of tables near the dart board but Jughead didn't seem to be to be present.

Betty took the drink that Toni had poured her and sipped it as she people watched. Looking at it at first seemed like it was chaotic and loud but as she observed it closer everyone was calm and having conversations in small groups. She thought that that was the way the serpents liked it, to seem like they were something dangerous and unapproachable but really they were just like anyone else. Betty observed that it was almost like an armor, if people thought you were hard and dangerous then they were less likely to hurt you.  She admired the way the serpents were. As much as the northside tried to bring them down, here they were gathered together and carefree.

She was happy she got to see it from this side because it was amazing, they really were a community here. She knew that some of them were actually dangerous but for the most part they were just people just trying to get by and find a place in this town that did it's best to push you to the ground and keep you there. She turned back to watch Toni as she made drinks and smiled. Betty hadn't expected to like Toni as much as she did because the girl seemed so different from her, but she had to admit she was happy that Toni was there that night. She was starting to realize that maybe she and Toni had more in common than she thought. If people had looked at the two of them before no one would have expected them to be friends but that's what made it so great. Toni forced her to push her boundries and it was something Betty had needed. She was happy that she got to call her a friend.

"Are you staring at my butt?" Toni said jokingly, pulling Betty out of her thoughts. Betty grinned at her.

"Totally, maybe I'll ditch Jug and take you instead. Veronica would probably throw a party." She said. Toni laughed.

"Sorry Cooper, you're not my type." She said and laughed. "Plus I think Jones would actually kill me."

"Right." Betty said, rolling her eyes. "So what is your type then?"

"Cheryl Blossom. That's my type." She said cheekily. Betty stared at her open mouthed.

"Seriously?" She asked. Toni nodded.

"I like the bitchy type." She said. "She seems like she could boss me around in bed, total turn on."

Betty blushed bright red and Toni laughed. "What's it like?" 

"What?" Toni asked.

"You know, sex with another girl?" Betty asked. Toni looked at her and seemed to be studying her face.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked and Betty shrugged.

"Curiosity, I guess." She mumbled looking at the counter. She ran her nails over through the small cracks in the bar top until Toni grabbed her hand and made Betty look up at her.

"You know it's okay to be curious." She focused on Betty's face as she spoke. "It's even normal to want to experiment. Sexuality is fluid."

Betty blushed and looked around to see if anyone was listening before she sighed.

"I don't know. I've never really thought about it, but I look at girls and catch myself thinking about what it would be like to do it, you know to kiss them just once, just to see what it's like. But I love Jug." She said. Toni laughed gently.

"It's okay to like both Betty. I do." She said. Betty glanced up at her and nodded.

"I guess you're right." She said then smiled. "You know Veronica kissed me once?"

"No way!" Toni exclaimed. Betty laughed.

"Yeah, I think that's what started this, I never really thought about it before that." Betty admitted.

"Well I'll be here for you no matter what Betty. I've been through the sexuality freak out myself, so if you need to talk about anything, just come to me." She said and Betty nodded. She glanced up at her again.

"But really, Cheryl Blossom? Are you sure you want to tackle that? She might lock you in her dungeon." Betty laughed. Toni grinned back.

"Sounds like fun." She said as they both laughed. Betty sat up suddenly.

"You know what? She's actually my cousin." Betty said and Toni glanced at her.

"Okay and?" She asked.

"And she resents my family. She kind off hates my parents and Polly, and she barely tolerates me but if I have something she doesn't she'll be very jealous." Betty said.

"Are you proposing what I think you are because I wasn't kidding about Jones killing me." She said. Betty rolled her eyes.

"He's not going to do anything, and maybe it would make him open his eyes and pull his head out of his ass." Betty said. Toni looked at her with wide eyes.

"Are you seriously suggesting we fake date to make them jealous? I don't even know if Cheryl is gay." She said.

"One way to find out." Betty grinned at her and Toni blew out a breath.

"If I'd known you were this crazy, I'd have invited you to join the serpents a long time ago." Toni said.

"Is that a yes?" She asked. Toni rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"What the hell? Why not?" She said before eyeing Betty. "But if Jones decides to murder me it'll totally be your fault."


	5. The Kiss Heard Around Riverdale

Betty spent the next few days shopping for new clothes since she couldn't go to school but it was finally time for her to go back and face everyone. She was sure people, particularly Reggie and his friends, were still going to be pissed but they might think twice about saying something. She had put on her brand new black skinny jeans and a black crop top with roses on it. She threw the jacket over it and went downstairs. He mother still rolled her eyes when she saw the jacket but they had reached an impasse, neither of them willing to budge so they just didn't mention the jacket at all. Betty grabbed a granola bar and put a banana in her bag for later before she left the house. She still hadn't spoken to Archie about the situation so she was on her own as she walked to school that day.

It didn't take her long to reach the school and she took a deep breath before she stepped in the doors. People still looked at her and the jacket on her shoulders, but no one commented on it like they had the first day. She didn't know if it was because they had grown used to it already or if it was because she had decked the last person who had said something about it, either way she was glad they were done staring. She stopped at her locker to grab her books before continuing to the student lounge where she expected everyone to be. She saw Jughead in the corner talking to Sweet Pea and Fangs, while Cheryl and her heard of cheerleaders were sitting on the couches. Veronica was by the snack machines with Toni and Betty took in the room before making her move. She marched straight over to Toni and pushed her against the machine before she kissed her.

"Holy fuck!" Veronica exclaimed. Betty knew her exclamation had alerted the others in the room meaning they were definitely looking. Betty pulled away and Toni was looking at her stunned. Betty motioned with her eyes at Cheryl in the corner, who at this point was staring at them with her mouth hanging open. Toni nodded slightly before she took Betty's hand and turned to to room.

"Have you got a problem?" She asked snarkily. She pulled Betty away with Veronica trailing behind them. Betty caught Jughead's eye but his face was unreadable. He had his arms crossed and his eyes were following them across the room. As they made it into the hall Toni pulled her toward the blue and gold offices and closed the door behind them before she turned to Betty. "That was intense."

"Sorry." Betty said sheepishly.

"I know I suggested it but I didn't think you'd actually make a move on her." Veronica exclaimed staring at them. Betty laughed and Toni leaned on the desk next to her.

"We're not actually together V. Toni thinks Cheryl is smoking hot and wants to get her in bed." Betty said. Toni slapped her lightly on the arm and she shrugged. "You do."

"How is you kissing Toni helping her get Cheryl in bed?" Veronica asked.

"Cheryl's a jealous person. I figure she'll try to snag Toni from me as soon as she gets the chance." Betty said.

"Plus, Jughead won't admit it but he's a jealous person too." Toni added. "He'll hate seeing Betty with anyone else."

"This plan seems convoluted but it might just work." Veronica grinned at them. "But seriously that kiss was hot."

"I'm experimenting." Betty grinned.

"And I'm happy to help her." Toni looked her up and down. "She's not my type but she's still attractive, it's not a hardship to kiss her for a while."

Betty could feel the blush on her cheeks as Toni and Veronica laughed. She shoved both of them and rolled her eyes.

"Well I'm not one to say friends don't kiss each other like that. I had a few friends I 'experimented' with back in New York." She said and Toni looked at her. "They were guys and I wanted to try a few things out but it's essentially the same thing you guys are doing."

"We're not going to sleep together." Betty blurted out. Veronica shrugged.

"What I'm saying is, it wouldn't be horrible if you did. Friends can have sex and still be friends." She said and looked at Betty. "Besides, you said you were experimenting, you might want to go there. Who knows?"

Betty and Toni glanced at each other before looking away with red staining both of their cheeks.Veronica rolled her eyes and dragged them back out into the hall. Toni slipped her hand into Betty's and they continued on behind Veronica down the hall like little ducklings. Betty noticed all the eyes on them and knew that they would be the subject of gossip all day and she rolled her eyes. She seemed to be making waves every time she stepped into the school and she was already annoyed by everyone. She wondered if this was how the serpents felt all the time, with the northsiders latching onto anything to gossip about.

They were stopped by Sweet Pea and Fangs standing in front of them. Veronica sighed heavily and looked up at them. "Can I help you boys?"

"We're not here for you Princess." Sweet Pea said and Veronica scoffed as if she was about to say something but Fangs cut in before she could speak.

"Jones called a meeting after school. He wanted us to let you know." He said and Toni nodded.

"We'll be there." She assured them. Both of them nodded and walked away. Betty glanced over at her and she shrugged to indicate she didn't know what the meeting was going to be about. The continued down the hall to their first class and Toni kissed her on the cheek before she left her at her class and went to hers. Veronica was standing next to her.

"I'm just saying she's hot. I know you and Jughead are endgame but a fling with her wouldn't be such a bad thing." She said as they turned to enter the room. Betty glanced over at her as they sat down.

"Are you sure you're straight?" She asked jokingly. Veronica laughed.

"Positive, but even I can recognize another girls attractiveness." She stated.

The rest of their classes passed quickly and Betty went to meet Toni who was going to give her a ride to the meeting. She was stepping out of the school when she quite literally ran into Archie. They looked at each other and she saw his eyes catch on the jacket.

"I can't believe you joined them. I can't believe Jug let you." He said and Betty glared at him.

"Jug didn't let me do anything, because I don't need his approval." She moved away from him. "And for your information Jughead didn't even want me to join, he even broke up with me to keep me away so if that's what you two are fighting about you need to get over it."

"Why would you join them Betty?" He motioned to her. "This isn't you."

"I'm more me now than I ever was Archie. I've started making my own choices, and if you can't accept me and allow me to grow them you can just leave me alone until you can." She said. "Now, I have somewhere to be if you don't mind."

She walked away from him and met Toni by her bike. She climbed on and they set off to the meeting place. When they got there Betty noticed that it was just the younger serpents and Toni took her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. Jughead watched them walk up together but didn't say anything as he looked out over everyone. There was a fire in a barrel at the center of the group and Betty watched as he paced in front of it. She could tell he was agitated and she wanted to comfort him but she knew it wasn't her place anymore and she didn't want to get into it in front of everyone so she stayed where she was just watching.

He turned and leaned over the fire and she could see the thoughts rushing behind his eyes, everyone was sitting quietly and just waiting for him to speak. She knew that here with these people he was the leader she always knew he could be. She knew that these people gathered around trusted him implicitly and she was among them, whatever their relationship was she would never not trust him. Finally he seemed to gather his thoughts and turned back to look at everyone.

"Something needs to be done about Penny Peabody. The serpents are not going to end up like the ghoulies, we are not going to be her drug mules anymore." He stated clearly. 

"She's helped us before." Sweet Pea said.

"Yeah, but at what price? How much did she demand in return?" He asked looking at each of them for a moment. "We don't have to take it, let's do something."

Everyone seemed hesitant and were shifting nervously before Toni stepped closer. "What is the first law?"

"No serpent stands alone." Sweet Pea said and stepped closer to Jughead. "Let's do it."

With those words they started formulating a plan to get rid of the snake charmer.


	6. I'm Sorry

They made a plan and drove to the warehouse where Penny was waiting for FP. Jughead went in first and they followed, it was a lot easier to get Penny outside and into a car than Betty expected but soon they were on the way to Centerville. They wanted to make sure she was far enough away that she wouldn't just come back. It took a couple hours before they pulled over on the side of the rode, everyone climbed off their bikes and crowded around the car as Sweet Pea and Fangs pulled her out and pushed her to her knees before pulling the bag off her head. Toni moved over next to them and Penny was whipping her head around to look at them all around her before her eyes landed on Jughead.

"Have you lost your mind Jones?!" She exclaimed. Jughead moved forward and crouched in front of her.

"You want to sell drugs and blackmail people that's your business, but it's not going to be in Riverdale." He said. She laughed and rolled up her sleeve to expose her tattoo.

"You stupid kid, you can't touch me. Serpent law says you can't hurt one of your own." She said. Jughead stood and walked back toward the group she watched as he stripped his jacket off and she reached out to take it. He pulled out his switch blade and spun back to face Penny.

"That tattoo doesn't make you a serpent." He stated as he walked toward her. Sweet Pea and Toni grabbed her to keep her in place as she struggled to get away.

"You can't do this!" She yelled. No one made a move to help her as his blade dug into her skin and she started screaming. Betty saw the blood coat the ground and Jughead wiped the knife on his shirt. Toni and Sweet Pea moved away from her and Jughead took a piece of cloth and tied it tight around her arm to keep it from bleeding too much. They weren't trying to kill her just to send a message.

"Take this as a warning Penny, stay out of the southside. I don't care where you set up shop but it isn't going to be with the Serpents." He said as he walked away from her. Toni took out a bottle of water and poured it over his hands to get rid of the blood. Everyone got back onto their bikes and drove away from the scene but Betty rode with Jughead in the car.

It was quiet aside from the radio as neither off them spoke. The air in the car felt charged with the awkwardness between them but Betty wasn't going to be the first to break the silence so the drove with the darkness surrounding them and the person on the radio crooning about lost love which Betty found ironic given the situation. It was strange to be with him and not reach out to touch him but the night off their breakup was still crystal clear in her mind. She shifted to watch the trees going by which at this point were really just dark blurs but it meant she didn't have to spend the whole drive looking at him.

She heard him shift in his seat and she glanced over at him before looking back at the trees. He cleared his throat and she knew there was no avoiding a conversation With him so she braced herself and turned to look at him fully. He glanced over at her but kept his eyes mostly on the road.

"I'm sorry Betty. I never wanted you to see that side of me." He said and Betty sighed.

"Jug, you don't need to apologize. I don't know why you feel the need to shield me from all of this but it really isn't necessary, I can handle it." She said quietly.

"I know you can." He said seriously. 

The both lapsed into silence as they took in what the other had said and Betty hoped he understood that she wasn't going to run just because he thought his life and himself were dangerous. She wanted so badly to reach out and comfort him but she didn't know if her touching him right now was a good idea. He seemed to be contemplating things and she didn't want to make things more difficult by adding her own emotions to his. He seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts as he glanced over at her for a moment.

"So you and Toni?" He asked and she blushed a bright red.

"It's not what it looks like." She stated and he shrugged.

"You don't have to explain it to me Betty, I was the one who walked away. You have every right to be with whoever you want." He said. She heard the pain in his voice that he was so desperately trying to hide and it made her feel guilty for lying to him about it.

"Jug....it's really not like that. Toni and I are just friends." She said and he shrugged.

"It didn't look like that to me." He stated and she sighed.

"I know what it looks like but it's not serious. I'm just figuring some things out and Toni is helping me." She said as she studied her hands in her lap. She heard him sigh and looked at him.

"I'm not going to say it doesn't hurt to see you with her but I'm glad that you have her. I've been a dick to you while I was trying to protect you, but I realized tonight that you don't really need to be protected, you're stronger than most people I know. I never meant to hurt you Betty, and I'm sorry that I did." He said and she turned her face away from him to hide the emotion in her eyes.

"I don't blame you for anything Jug." She said quietly. She heard him clear his throat again.

"You should, I wrecked our entire relationship because I got scared. I should have known I couldn't push you away." He said and Betty reached out to touch his hand. He looked over at her and their eyes met.

"It's okay to be scared sometimes Jug, but I don't want you to push everyone away when you are. Your friends, your family, me. We all get scared, it's natural but we lean on each other for comfort. You shouldn't feel the need to protect all of us from whatever you're going through, you should let us help you and trust us to know when we think it's too dangerous." She pulled in a breath as she spoke. "When you broke up with me, you took away my choice."

He nodded and she knew he understood what she meant. They spent the rest of the drive in silence but it wasn't awkward this time, they were both thinking about the conversation they had and Betty had hope that they could work it out eventually. She knew she had given him some things to think about and she felt good in the knowledge that he still cared about her. She'd had this small thought at the back of her mind that he had just used an excuse to break up with her because he din't want to be with her anymore but now that thought had been squashed and she knew he genuinely had only wanted to protect her. It made it easier knowing that and she wanted to just kiss him in that moment and forget about the whole stupid thing but she knew he still had some things to work out on his own before they could come back together. He needed to work through his own issues or they'd just fall back into the same pattern and ultimately lead to the same thing again because he was trying to shield her when he didn't need to but it was a step. For the first time since he had left her standing alone in the parking lot of a bar she had hope.


	7. Movie Night

Betty went to Toni's trailer when they got back because it was already the middle of the night and she wasn't about to face the wrath of her mother. She was going to avoid it for as long as she could so Toni's it was. Toni let her in and informed her that her uncle had gotten arrested for a DUI so they would be alone so they put on a movie and made popcorn. She sat next to her on the couch as the movie started playing. It became obvious to Betty pretty quickly that it was a horror movie and she settled into the couch and pulled the blanket over their laps. It was a Friday night and she had only been to school for two days that week due to her suspension and she was definitely going to have to get notes from someone to study but for now she just focused on the screen.

The first jump scare made her yank the blanket over her eyes and Toni laughed at her. She shoved her across the couch and stole the popcorn from her she stood and held it above her head so Toni couldn't reach it. Toni got up and Pushed her lightly so she stumbled and grabbed the bowl before she was able to steady herself. Toni shrugged at her as she sat back down on the couch.

"I grew up with Sweet Pea and Fangs. I've learned how to compensate for my height, I usually just hit them until they give me what I want. Be thankful I only pushed you." She grinned at Betty and cause her to laugh. She moved over and sat back down next to her.

"Fair enough." Betty said and put the blanket back over them. Toni looked at her.

"By the way next time you kiss me, you might want to warn me first. I probably looked just as shocked as everyone else." She said. Betty blushed.

"Sorry." She said and Toni laughed.

"I'm not complaining, Cheryl looked like she had never seen me before, at least now she knows who I am and that I'm into girls." She said and Betty smiled.

"I'm betting it won't take her long to make a move on you." She said. Toni grinned.

"I'm looking forward to it." She said and they went back to watching the movie. It had a lot of jump scares and very little plot but Betty still enjoyed it.

When the movie went off Toni moved to put another one in. She picked one much lighter because they were both a little jumpy after the first one so they picked a romcom. The bright colors and soundtrack was a huge contrast to the first one so they both calmed down and just enjoyed the mindless entertainment. When it got to a sex scene Betty shifted on the couch and Toni looked at her. 

"I always find it uncomfortable to watch other people have sex." She said and Toni shrugged.

"What about porn?" She asked and Betty flushed.

"That's different, they're getting paid to have actual sex with the intention of others watching it. I don't know why but watching a sex scene in a movie always makes me cringe." She said. Toni studied her.

"I never really thought about it, but I'm betting your parents skipped theses scenes when you were younger. Maybe that's why you feel weird actually watching them." Toni said and Betty shrugged.

"Maybe." She said and glanced back at the screen where surprisingly the scene was still going. Toni looked back at it and picked up the remote but Betty grabbed her hand. "You don't have to fast forward, I'm not a little kid."

"Maybe I can distract you." Toni said and put the remote onto the table.

She turned Betty's face to her and leaned in. Their lips brushed lightly before Betty pulled her in firmly. Toni crawled into her lap with a leg on each side of her and Betty rested her hands on Toni's hips. Toni's hands were in her hair as she deepened the kiss and Betty slid her hands under Toni's shirt which caused her to move back and pull it over her head. Betty looked up at her with a stunned expression which caused her to laugh before she moved in to kiss her again. Her hands moved up to trace the lace at the bottom of the bra and Toni moved on to her neck which caused Betty to let her head fall back to give her more access. She felt Toni's hands at the edge of her shirt and it soon joined Toni's on the floor.

Toni pushed her over onto the couch and leaned over her as she laid kisses across her chest. Betty was breathing hard and fast as she watched her and Toni grinned up at her before she reached behind herself and unsnapped the bra. As she dropped it to the floor Betty stared, she had never seen anyone's bare breast except her own and it was a little shocking. Toni kissed her which distracted her from the sight in front of her. Toni was really one of the most attractive people she had ever met and she was almost stunned to find herself in this position. As Toni kissed her body she brought her hands up to touch her breast and found herself facinated with the way her nipples hardened when she ran her fingertips over them and Toni let out a soft moan as she looked down at her. Betty looked up and their eye met which snapped her out of it. She moved her hands and wiggled away from Toni who was looking at her with concern.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this, I know that Jug and I aren't technically dating but this feels like cheating." She looked at Toni and rushed to say "Not that you're not beautiful and I totally would if things were different."

Toni pulled the blanket up and studied Betty. "It's okay you know. I get it, you love him."

"I don't want to hurt your feelings." Betty said and Toni laughed.

"Don't worry about it Betty, I'm a big girl I can take rejection." Toni reached over and took her hand. "We're not it for each other and that's okay. Your heart belongs to someone else as it always has, but you and I will never stop being friends. This was just a little fun that we'll laugh about later. Believe me I'm not offended."

"Are you sure? I can go home." Betty said quietly.

"I'm positive. Stay, we'll finish the movie and go to bed. We don't have to let this make it awkward." Toni grinned. "Besides, it's not like we had sex, it was just an intense make-out session which I don't mind."

"Okay, I'll stay." Betty said and Toni handed her the shirt that had been discarded on the floor. Toni pulled on her clothes and the sat at opposite sides of the couch with their feet up on the couch. She spread the blanket over them and turned back to the TV but Toni spoke next to her and she looked back.

"Have you and Jones had sex?" She asked and Betty's eyes went wide.

"Why?" She asked. Toni shrugged.

"I'm just curious. I'm sure you know that he and I have made out before, you know the first time you broke up, and he pushed me away before we went the whole way too. It just makes me wonder." She said. Betty studied her fro a moment.

"No, we've come close but we always seem to be interrupted before we can get to far." She said and Toni nodded. 

"Do you want to?" She asked. "It's okay if you don't, by the way."

"No I want to but I don;t want it to be just because, you know? I want the first time with him to mean something." She said and Toni smiled.

"God you really do love him. Should I send out wedding invitations?" She said jokingly and Betty kicked her lightly under the cover while she laughed. That caused the weird tension that had been between them to evaporate and they were back to being just friends.

"I don't think we're quite there yet." she said and Toni shrugged.

"Well I'm placing my bets now, you two will be the first to get married." She said.

"We're not even together." She reminded her.

"You will be, I have no doubt about it. You love each other in the way you see on screen, the kind that people don't believe really exists, but I know it does when I look at the two of you together." Toni stated. 

"I'm glad you're my friend Toni." Betty said and Toni smiled at her.

"Me too Betty."


	8. Cherry Bomb

Monday morning brought Betty a welcome reprieve from her mother who hadn't stopped lecturing her since she had come home early on Saturday morning for staying out all night and in her words, acting like a hoodlum. She met Veronica in the lounge and took a bottle of water from her. She hadn't eaten or drank much all weekend because every time she stepped out of her room her mother seemingly appeared out of nowhere and started ranting again. Betty had even resorted to locking herself in the bathroom with the shower running just to escape it for a while. She wasn't about to explain to her mother what she had been doing on Friday so she just ignored her for the most part. She had just taken a drink from the water bottle when Toni swept into the room and exclaimed:

"Betty Cooper, I am going to marry you!"

Betty choked on the water she had been about to swallow and Veronica smacked her on the back as she coughed before she was finally able to speak. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Come on!" She grabbed Betty by the had and dragged her out of the room, where everyone was staring at them as they went and Betty flushed under the attention. She met Jughead's eyes just before she was yanked out the door and gave him a silent apology. Veronica was keeping pace with them as they went out the doors and into the courtyard which at this time in the morning was actually empty. Toni spun to face them and grinned. "You will never believe what just happened!"

"Are you having an aneurysm?" Veronica asked. Betty elbowed her before looking at Toni who was bouncing in place.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Cheryl Blossom just cornered me in the bathroom and told me she thinks I'm attractive." Toni squealed.

"Well she didn't waste any time did she?" Veronica asked.

"I told you she'd go for you. She'll probably tell you you're to good for me next." Betty said and Toni shifted. Betty sighed. "She already has hasn't she?"

"I told her you were great, and that we were only friends, who kissed sometimes." Toni stated and Veronica grabbed her arm.

"You already caved and told her the truth? What kind of power does that ginger witch possess?" she asked and Betty laughed.

"She's really attractive, I think I was a little stunned by it. I can't think when she looks at me." Toni said sheepishly. Betty took her hand and smiled at her.

"Don't feel bad Toni, I caved and told Jughead too." She told them and Veronica rolled her eyes at both of them.

"You're hopeless, both of you." She said. Toni and Betty glanced at each other and laughed at the expression on her face. She glared at them before speaking again. "This is probably good though, you shouldn't start a relationship based on lies. Or repair one, so at least everyone is aware of the actual dynamics here."

"You've got a good point." Toni said. Betty agreed before turning to Toni.

"Okay so we know that Cheryl is interested so now we just need to get you two closer." She glanced at Veronica as a plan formed and she grinned at Toni. "Can you dance?"

With those words a plan formed between them. They went to their classes for the day before meeting up in the locker room. Betty gave Toni a spare practice outfit and they got changed while Veronica informed Cheryl that they had someone interested in joining the team and convinced her to let the tryout happen before practice. The idea was that if Toni was in front of her that she wouldn't be able to ignore her and she'd eventually make an actual move on her and not just sneakily try to get her away from Betty. Toni took a deep breath before they stepped out of the locker room together and Betty gave her a reassuring thumbs up as the walked into the gym. She knew the moment Cheryl saw Toni because her eyes widened a little before she schooled her expression.

Veronica grinned at Betty and Toni from behind her shoulder and Betty had to stop herself from laughing. She hugged Toni and whispered reassurances to her before she took her place with the rest of the squad leaving her standing alone in front of them. Cheryl reached over and turned on the music which prompted Toni to start the routine she had made up very quickly during their break in the middle of the day. She was actually really good considering she hadn't had anytime to practice before now and she ended her dance with a smile on her face. Veronica and Betty cheered for her as Cheryl threw her a uniform, she ran over to them and they reached out to hug her at the same time resulting in an unintentional group hug before Cheryl voice rang out for them to get in their positions.

The rest of practice was spent going over the routines for an hour before they all left to go home. Veronica and Betty helped Toni get into her uniform to make sure it fit and she left it on as they left the locker room. She was surprised to see that Jughead, Fangs and Sweet Pea were still at the school leaning against their bikes when Toni and Betty approached the parking lot. They had left Veronica with Archie who had also been finishing up practice. She saw they guys do a double take when they looked over and Fangs grinned looking at both of them up and down.

"Have you two switched bodies?" He asked. It was then that Betty realized how contrasting the looked because she was wearing her Serpents jacket and Toni was in her cheerleading uniform. Toni rolled her eyes at him.

"Shut it Fangs!" She snapped.

"Trying to impress your girlfriend Topaz?" Sweet Pea asked motioning to Betty.

"I'm not her girlfriend." She stated. She watched as they registered what she had said and they looked between them and she saw Sweet Pea's eyes flick over to Jughead before he shrugged.

"None of my business." He said.

"That's right, it really isn't." Toni said. Betty caught a flash of color at the edge of her vision and turned to see Cheryl coming over. She elbowed Toni who looked at her and she motioned toward Cheryl with her head. Toni spun immediately to face her like a flower looking for sunlight and almost tripped over her own feet. Betty snorted and earned a glare from her before Cheryl stopped in front of them. Her eyes flicked to the boys standing next to them before she squared her shoulders and turned to look at them.

"Cousin." She greeted and Betty sighed.

"Cheryl." She said in the same tone. Cheryl huffed and looked between them.

"I need the two of you to cover your tattoos when we perform. It's against school protocol." She stated and Betty stared at her for a moment before she nodded.

"Noted." She looked at her as she shifted her feet. "Was there something else?"

"Yes, I'm going to need Topaz to stay for extra practices from now on....to catch her up." Cheryl said hesitantly. Betty had to stop herself from smirking as Toni gazed at Cheryl.

"Extra practices....I can do that."She said quietly. Cheryl nodded then spun on her heel and marched away from them. She heard a whistle behind them before Sweet Pea spoke.

"That was the weirdest foreplay I've ever witnessed." He stated and Betty laughed. Toni flung her hand out and slapped her lightly on the arm.

"Sorry." Betty spat between giggles. Toni rolled her eyes and ignored all of the guys.

"I could just leave you here you know." She said and Betty grinned.

"I'm sure one of them would give me a ride." She said.

"Any time you want." Sweet Pea said breezily. She caught Jughead glaring at him and hid her smile.

"I'll spare you from having to deal with him Betty." Toni said as she climbed on the bike. "But you're on thin ice Cooper."

Betty heard the playful tone in her voice so she didn't point out how hilarious Toni looked at the moment with her uniform on sitting on a motorcycle because she might actually decide to leave Betty here. She waved at the boys and swung her leg over behind Toni. She was seriously going to have to get her own bike eventually but she wasn't going to be able to hide it at home, her mother would have a heart attack. It was when she had gotten home that she realized she had no idea why the guys had still been at the school and she resolved to ask them the next time she saw them.


	9. I Still Love You

Friday night brought Betty back to the Whyte Wyrm, sitting at the bar while Toni worked. She watched her movements as she made the drinks and tried to memorize what she put in each of them because she had started serving Betty concoctions to try that she wanted to start serving at the bar to see if they were gross or not. When Betty complained about being a guinea pig Toni had responded by saying she couldn't drink on the job so she needed Betty to do it for her. Betty had sighed but agreed and was quickly on her way to being a little more than tipsy, so she begged off trying the next drink. Toni shrugged and said they could always try more later, to which Betty told her she'd better find another taster. She was studying the room at the moment observing the people, she noticed Jughead next to the dart board with Sweet Pea and Fangs. He seemed to be actively avoiding looking at the bar where she was.

Toni thought he was being an idiot for not fixing things with Betty already, as she had told her because the thing the were fighting was ,in her words, stupid. Betty had then informed her that they weren't really fighting, that it was just a disagreement about certain things. She was more than willing to work things out now but if there was one thing Jughead Jones was, it was stubborn. She shook the thoughts and turned away so that he wouldn't catch her staring like a lovesick puppy, if he wanted to fix it she was going to make him meet her halfway. She got up from the bar and moved down the hall in the corner of the bar to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face to cool down, as it was hot in the bar and the alcohol she had consumed wasn't helping cool her down. She wet a paper towel and put it on the back of her neck for a moment before she felt a little better. 

When she left the bathroom Jughead was leaning on the wall across from the door with his arms crossed. She studied his posture and sighed before she leaned against the wall across from him. She saw him staring at her but she wasn't going to break the silence, especially since he was the one to obviously seek her out.

"You've been drinking." It wasn't really a question and his tone gave no indication about how he felt in that moment. She met his eyes hoping to read something there before she answered.

"A little. Toni wanted to try a few new things out." She explained quietly. He gave a silent nod as he shifted his feet.

"Why don't you let me take you home." He said quietly. She shook her head slightly.

"I'm fine Jug, it's not like I'm drunk or anything." She said. He sighed as he uncrossed his arms.

"That's not what I'm saying, I just know you have a curfew and Toni won't be off for a while." He looked at her. "I know how your mom can be."

"Thanks for your concern, but I really am fine." She said before pushing away from the wall and turning to walk down the hall back to the bar. she heard movement behind her before she was stopped by a hand on her arm. She spun back around to find him standing right behind her. She hadn't been this close to him in weeks and it took her breath away for a moment as she meet his eyes. She noticed his gaze land on her lips for a moment before the flicked back up to hers.

"Can I ask you something?" His voice was soft and she let out a slow breath as she nodded. "I know you wanted to join the Serpents for me, but we broke up and you still joined. Can you tell me why?"

"It makes me feel happy Jug. At first it was about you, but I put on the jacket and suddenly I had control, I wasn't just the girl next door going through life doing what everyone told me I had to. I felt like I finally had something that was just for me, something I made a choice about and wasn't told to want. I've spent my entire life trying to make everyone else happy and doing things I didn't even care about because it's what the nice girl is expected to do. This jacket, the Serpents, is something that means a lot to me, something that shows everyone that I'm not going to let them make my choices for me anymore. Do you understand?" She watched his face as he took in what she said. He seemed to be thinking before he looked at her again.

"I'm sorry, for telling you not to join. I was trying to protect you, but you deserved the right to make your own decision. I didn't want you to be dragged into this life just because you were with me but now I understand that it really has nothing to do with me. I'm glad you're here, I never meant to push you away or make you feel as if I was trying to take your choice away, I just can't deal when I think about you being in danger. I never want my life to put you in a position to get hurt. Penny threatened you and I short circuited, but I never should have pushed you away. I never should have let her have that power, I hurt you when all I've ever wanted is to hold you and protect you form everything." He said. She saw the pain and regret on his face as he spoke. She brought her hand up to his face.

"You can't protect me from the world Jug, but you can stand beside me and deal with it together, like we've always done. I don't need you to hide the dark parts of yourself from me because I've got my own and I'd never judge, you should know that." She said softly. He looked at her as he put his hand over hers.

"I'm sorry." He said in a whisper. 

"No more apologies." She said as she brought her lips to his. She felt his sharp intake of breath before he kissed her back. The kiss started out slow but quickly escalated and he pushed her back against the wall and she made a soft sound as he pressed his body against hers. She dropped her hands down to roam across his back as she slipped them under his shirt. She felt his fingers against the exposed skin above the waist of her skirt and she whimpered lightly as he started trailing kisses down her neck. He latched on to the spot where her neck met her shoulder sending tingles down her spin as she tilted her head to give him better access. She was dimly aware that they were still in the bar given that the music vibrated through the walls but it was only a distant thought as she brought his lips back up to hers. He put his arms around her and lifted her up against the wall and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She let out a soft moan as he pressed against her, he had one hand holding her up and the other high on her thigh under her skirt. His fingers were brushing the edge of her panties and she could feel him through his jeans presses up against her and she hand her hands in his back pockets holding him close.

Her mind was a hazy cloud of need so it took her a few moments to register the sound of footsteps coming to an abrupt stop at the end of the hall. She pulled away from him and turned her head in a slow motion, she quickly registered Toni standing at the end of the hall with wide eyes. Jughead abruptly dropped her to her feet and she straightened her clothes as she turned to face her. She cleared her throat trying to dislodge some of the awkwardness of the situation. Toni crossed her arms and looked at them and Betty could tell she was trying to hide the smirk clearly in her eyes.

"I've been looking for you. I'm on break, I was going to give you a ride home." Toni said and Betty felt the flush on her cheeks as she glanced at Jughead. 

"Um, okay." She said and took a step toward Toni. Jughead's voice stopped her.

"I'll take her home." He said. 

"I bet you will." Toni muttered loud enough for both of them to hear and she gave her a look. "If you're okay with it, I'll leave you with him."

"I'm okay Toni, thank you." She said pointedly. Toni smirked as she walked away and Betty turned to him. He took her hand and lead her out the back of the bar and handed her the helmet before he got on and motioned for her to follow. When she got on and wrapped her arms around him he spoke before starting the bike.

"I am actually taking you home Betty, as much as I want to be with you, you've been drinking and I want us both to be clearheaded if we're going to do that together." He said and she nodded.

"I get it Jug, it's fine." She answered softly. He started the bike and pulled out of the parking lot. It didn't take long to get to her house but it wasn't the warmest ride of her life and she was sniffleing by the time they got there and she had a feeling her nose was bright red. They got off the bike after he parked it next to the sidewalk and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I want you to know I love you Betty. That was never the reason for our breakup." He said softly. She smiled at him.

"I know Jug." She said as she tucked her face into his neck. "I never stopped loving you."

They stayed like that for a long moment before he pulled away. He kissed her softly. "I never should have broken up with you."

"It's okay Jug, I know why you did it. We're good." She said. He smiled.

"I'm glad, you have no idea how much I missed you." He said quietly before he nodded to the house. "You should get inside before she comes out and starts ranting about my bike."

Betty turned to see her mother peeking out behind the curtains and rolled her eyes. She quickly kissed him before running up the path to her front door. She turned back to see him driving away before she took a deep breath and opened the door to face her mother.


	10. Go For It

Betty had been sitting in her room writing in her diary before Toni appeared in her doorway. She raised an eyebrow and took in the smug look on her face before she sighed and sat her diary on the bedside table before motioning for her to come into the room.

"Alright, say what you've come to say." She said and Toni grinned at her.

"So how are things with Jones? From what I saw I'd say it's going pretty well." She said. Betty gave her a look.

"How are things with your private practices?" She asked sarcastically.

"You're deflecting. I saw what I saw." Toni said tauntingly causing Betty to roll her eyes.

"Can we not talk about that, it was super embarrassing." She said. Toni laughed.

"Well you could have picked a better place to let out your sexual frustration but at least it was only me that saw it. Could've been worse." She said and Betty nodded.

"I guess so." She answered.

"So have you guys talked or did you just jump each other in the bar?" Toni asked. Betty looked at her hands with a small smile.

"We've talked. I think we're good now, he brought me home and kissed me goodbye. It made me realize how much I actually missed him, you know. It was all of the little things about our relationship that I missed the most like those quiet moments when we don't really have to say anything, we just understand each other completely. The times when we'd sit together in complete silence, each doing our own things, and just enjoy being together even if nothing exciting is happening. It makes me so happy to have him back in my life." She explained while Toni just stared at her with wide eyes.

"Wow, you really love him." She said quietly.

"I do." Betty answered back. Toni seemed to shake herself out of a trance before she grinned at Betty again.

"Okay that's it, I'm planning a June wedding." She said and Betty shoved her lightly. "No but really, I admire the relationship that you two have, I hope one day I find someone who loves me like that."

"Speaking of love, you never answered my question about your private practices." Betty reminded her. Toni groaned and fell back against the bed next to Betty, who scooted down until she was laying next to her as they both stared at the ceiling.

"I don't understand her. One minute I'm sure she's checking me out and the next she yelling at me about my form being wrong. She makes me what to pull my hair out in frustration and throw her against a wall to make out in the same sentence. It's frustrating." Toni said and Betty laughed.

"I told you she wasn't the easiest person." She stated and Toni sighed. "

She makes me crazy. The worst part is I actually kind of like her. I went into this just thinking she'd be good to have a bit of fun with but there are moments when we're alone together, when I can see a different side to her. A side that's real and vulnerable underneath the hard exterior that she shows to other people and I find myself drawn to it." Toni turned to face Betty and propped herself up on her elbow and Betty followed suit. "She intrigues me."

"Well I saw go for it." Betty said and Toni rolled her eyes.

"What do you expect me to do, kiss her." Toni asked.

"Why not? You want to know if she's interested in you? She's given you a few hints, you know she thinks you're attractive, I say you march straight up to her and plant one on her. That'll get your message across." Betty said and Toni scoffed.

"Yeah or it'll get me slapped." She said. Betty shrugged one shoulder.

"Either way, at least you'll have done something about it." She said and Toni just flopped back onto the bed to look at the ceiling again. Neither of them spoke as they laid on the bed together both contemplating their relationships before the door to Betty's room opened to reveal her mother. Both of them sat up to look at her as she moved around the room putting away clothes into the drawers. She seemed to be actively avoiding looking at either of them while she did it before walking back out without saying a word. Toni gave Betty a look when the door closed behind her.

"That was creepy." She stated and Betty rolled her eyes.

"Don't take it personally, it's like the cold war around here. She wants me to stop wearing the jacket and I've refused so she's being really passive aggressive about the whole thing. She'll get over it eventually." Betty explained.

"Well I'm just glad she didn't make a comment about me, I know she has to hate everyone involved in getting you into that jacket in the first place. I'm so not ready to face the wrath of Alice Cooper." She said.

"Don't feel bad, she doesn't like most of my friends, serpent affiliation or not." Betty said with a sigh and an eye roll. "Anyway, let's talk more about you and Cheryl."

* * *

Monday morning dawned bright and early, especially for the cheerleading squad who had all received a text from none other that Cheryl Blossom that stated simply that they were to be up and in the school gym by six in the morning. Betty had dragged herself out of bed and threw on her uniform only because Veronica had promised a large cup of coffee which she was currently sipping on as they all watched Cheryl pacing in front of them. Everyone but Cheryl looked as if they would rather be anywhere else and a few of them were even sitting on the floor wrapped in blankets the dragged from home. 

"We have a pep rally coming up and I will not have any of you embarrass me in front of the entire school so we are gathered here to discuss a few things." Cheryl said.

"Why couldn't this have waited until practice this afternoon?" Betty grumbled. Cheryl laser focused on her in about two seconds.

"Because Cousin Betty, some people are not pulling their weight and we need to discuss it before practice so that we can dedicate our time to perfecting our routine. For example, I told you that you needed to cover your tattoo but I can still clearly see it." She snapped. Betty ran her fingers over the serpent peeking out form underneath her cheer skirt before looking up at Cheryl.

"Actually you said the tattoos needed to be covered when we performed given that they're against school policy, but we're not performing at the moment so it isn't a problem." She stated causing Cheryl to roll her eyes.

"Whatever, make sure it's covered tomorrow or you'll be off the team." She said causing Betty to roll her eyes as she leaned back against the wall next to Toni and Veronica. They listened as she called out each girl and proceeded to tell them exactly what she thought they were doing wrong before finally she came over to the three of them. Betty watched Toni as she stared at Cheryl as she spoke and nudged her with an elbow.

Toni glanced at her and Betty gave her a look and motioned toward Cheryl with her head. Toni gave her wide eyes and rapidly shook her head before Betty grabbed her and shoved her lightly in the other girls direction. She hadn't been expecting it so she tripped over her foot and fell into Cheryl who caught her in surprise and helped her right herself. Toni glared over her shoulder at Betty but she just grinned and mouthed ' _do it!'._  Toni glanced around at the other girls who didn't seem to be paying attention, still half asleep before she took a deep breath. Cheryl was in the middle of telling Veronica about how she needed to correct her footwork when Toni grabbed her and kissed her, she made a surprised sound and Betty heard Veronica gasp. She looked at her with a grin and Veronica snorted a laugh at the stunned expression on Cheryl's face. 

They were the only ones in the room that seemed to have seen what had just happened so when Cheryl called out a dismissal for the group everyone was slightly confused but took the chance to get away before she changed her mind. Betty threw a wink at Toni as she made her way into the hall with Veronica who was glaring at Betty.

"You should have told me that was going to happen! I would've brought a camera." She exclaimed and Betty laughed.

"Sorry. I didn't think Toni would actually do it." She explained.

"Well I take back what I said about you and Toni being a power couple, I mean you're a hot couple, but the two of them together are the true power couple. I imagine they'll take over the world together one day." She said.

"Yeah, if they don't kill each other first." Betty answered. 

"Well I'm rooting for them." She said. Betty nodded.

"Me too."

 

 


	11. An Apology

Betty was regretting the large coffee from the morning as she sat at the desk in the blue and gold office trying to fight off a caffeine crash while writing an article for the paper. She was loading up on sugar to keep her going by consuming a box of donuts slowly. She knew she probably looked a mess but there was no one to around at the moment to see her so she just pushed through the fatigue and kept typing. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn't even hear the door open and only realized she wasn't alone anymore when Archie tapped against the table with his hand. She jumped and inhaled the bite of donut she had just taken which prompted a coughing fit while Archie patted her back. When she finally got her windpipe cleared she glared at Archie and he held his hands up in a calming gesture.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to talk." He said gently. She studied him for a moment before she sighed and stood up to face him.

"If you've come to tell me I should leave the serpents again, I don't want to hear it." She said and Archie shook his head as he leaned against the desk.

"It's not that Betty, I wanted to apologize." He looked up to meet her eyes. "I've been thinking about what you said before, about how I need to learn to let you grow, and I realized that you were right. We've known each other since we were in diapers, and I guess I've always seen you as the perfect girl next door, I mean that's who you were in my story for so long. I think I just got stuck on that and tried to push you into a box that didn't fit anymore. We've grown up, and this last year we've been through a lot, it shouldn't surprise me that you've changed, because we all have but I guess I wanted to keep you as that image becasue then maybe I could pretend that things weren't different. I could pretend that our entire lives haven't been irrevocably changed if you were the same constant you'd been our entire lives, but that wasn't fair to you Betty, and I'm sorry."

"Arch...." She said quietly as she moved to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her and she took a deep breath in, remembering all the years between them. "I'm sorry about everything you've been through this year, we were thrown into things we had no control over, you almost lost your dad, but we haven't really talked about any of it. We should have been leaning on each other but instead we've drifted apart. We've both changed, hell we all have including Veronica and Jughead, but you will always be my best friend Archie no matter how much we change."

"How about we make a vow?" Archie said looking down at her. "From this day on we will talk to each other about everything, even if it's only little updates, and we will never push each other away again. I've been a shitty friend, not only to you but to Jug as well. I want us to be able to count on each other no matter what happens, so that none of us ever have to go it alone again."

"I agree." Betty held out a pinky and Archie laughed before linking his with hers. "A solemn vow to always communicate."

Archie glanced at the jacket on her shoulders. "It looks good on you Betty, you're more confident in it than I've ever seen you."

"Thanks Arch." She was playing with a pencil at the edge of the desk before she sighed and bit her lip as she looked over at him. "You should talk to Jug, I know the two of you have been fighting, especially about me being in the serpents. I think he deserves to understand where you're coming from too."

Archie studied her face for a long moment before he turned to look at the art on the wall as he spoke. "So have you two worked everything out then?"

"I think so." She said quietly and Archie nodded.

"I'll talk to him Betty. You're right, he does need to here it from me." He turned to look at her with a smile. "I'm glad the two of you have worked things out. In the back of my mind there was always a little part of me that thought we would end up together in the end, only because everyone seemed to expect it, that cliche relationship, but when I see the two of you together it makes me believe in the idea of soulmates. They Idea that there's one perfect person out there for everyone, that carries a part of your soul with them always seemed so strange to me, but then you and Jug happened and I saw it with my own eyes, the connection you two have goes deeper than anything I've ever known and I don't know how to explain it if not for this."

She smiled at him as he spoke. "You don't think you have that?"

"Veronica's great, and I love her but the connection I see between the two of you is profound. I don't think most people get to experience it. There are seven billion people on this planet and the chance of meeting that one person is so small, you and Jug got lucky. Most people don't find their soulmates but I like to think they can find someone that makes them forget about all of that and makes them happy at least, that's what Veronica is to me. We may not be soulmates like the two of you, but she makes me happy and that's enough, I think." He explained. Betty studied him with a smile.

"You know Archie Andrews, you are truly one of the best people in this world. One day you're going to make someone very happy when they get to call you their husband." She said quietly. He smiled and pulled her in for a second embrace.

"And you Betty Cooper, are going to be amazing." He said. 

As they held each other in that moment they both finally let go of that fantasy of their future together and embraced the new one they created full of happiness and love, with other people but with the promise that they would always be a part of each others lives. In that moment they felt the loss of the last piece of their childhood fantasies and felt the pieces falling into place forming the relationship they would carry into their adult lives. They would always be there for each other, they were family. Betty thought that maybe letting go of her future with Archie Andrews was maybe the last part of growing up for both of them, they had made it through to the other side and they were stronger for it.


	12. I Just Need You

When Betty got home she found Jughead waiting for her in her room. He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands clasped in his lap and she glanced at the window that was still open with the ladder propped on the wall. She sat her bag in the chair in front of her desk and leaned against it with her arms crossed. He looked up at her and she raised an eyebrow.

"Archie came to see me. We talked and he mentioned that you told him to do it." Jughead said and Betty shrugged lightly as she looked out across to Archie's room.

"I just told him he should apologize for the stupid fight that I know the two of you had about me wearing this jacket." She answered. She saw him nod his head as he stood and came closer to her.

"He said you yelled at him about it when he confronted you the first time. Said it was none of his business or mine, that you were wearing it." He said with a small smirk. She rolled her eyes.

"I actually said that it was my choice to where it and that I didn't need your permission." She said. He came over and stood right in front of her but he didn't touch her. She shifted her feet and uncrossed her arms as she looked up at him.

"You were right about that, you didn't need my permission." He stepped close enough that a breath would make them touch as he looked down at her. "If I had known you'd look this good in the jacket I would have given it to you a long time ago."

She wasn't sure which one of them moved first but suddenly their lips crashed together and he lifted her off her feet and spun toward the bed. Her back hit the mattress seconds before he was over her and she pulled him down to resume kissing. She pushed him away as she sat up to pull the jacket off her body and push his off his shoulders before throwing them onto the floor together. He made quick work of stripping her off her clothes and they joined the growing pile on the floor. She pulled at his sweater until her took it off and she ran her hands over his skin as he laid kisses over her body. She made a soft sound when he kissed low on her stomach and he glanced up at her. She knew she was flushed as she sat up and pushed him down on his back. He looked up at her as she moved her hands down to pop open the button on the top of his jeans.

She was mostly naked in only her panties and she wanted to level the playing field as she yanked his jeans down his legs and threw them onto the floor with the rest of their clothes before she straddled him and kissed him hard. His hands settled on her hips as she started kissing his neck. She grazed his throat with her teeth and relished the small sounds he was making before she ran her hand down his chest and played along the band of his boxers as she moved against him. She could feel him hard and ready and she moved away as he let out a whine of protest. She slid slowly down his body and pulled his boxers off in one swift movement. He was laid bare before her and she took in the sight for a moment before she moved.

She kept her eyes on him as she slowly lowered her head and she saw his head fall back as she brought her tongue along the line of his shaft. She began the ministrations as he let out a moan and she took him into her mouth. She ran her tongue along the veins while maintaining suction and she felt his hips bucking even though she could tell he was trying to hold back. She put her hand against his hip to keep him in place as she moved and she felt his hand come down and tangle in her hair, and she flicked her eyes up to watch his face as he fell apart under her movements until she felt him tug her hair and she popped her mouth off of him and moved up to kiss him hard. He pulled her close and she felt the hand not tangled in her hair move to push her panties off her body and she maneuvered to straddle him again.

They locked eyes as she slowly sank onto him and she kept the position for a long moment, adjusting to the unfamiliar stretch. He brought her in for a kiss as they relished being as close as possible to one another before she pulled away and started to move. His hands went to her hips as she rocked against him, steadying her movements as he laid kisses against her neck. She had her head tilted back to give him access and her breath was coming in fast pants as she chased the pleasure. She felt his thumb press against her clit as she rocked and she let out a soft moan. He wrapped an arm around her brought her in close as he started moving his hips in time with hers and she felt the pressure building as he brought her in for a kiss. She rocked her body faster as she felt it crash over her like a wave, and she saw stars behind her eyes as she moaned. She held him close as she came down and he kept his arms wrapped around her as she breathed heavily before he flipped them and her back hit the mattress as he rocked his hips forward. She put her hands into his hair and watched his face as he concentrated on reaching his peak. It seemed to hit him suddenly and the rhythm of his hips faultered as he released. 

The held each other as their breathing normalized and Betty pulled the blanket up over them. She smiled softly at him as they laid together and he pushed her hair back out of her face. She kissed him softly and laid her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly running his hand through her hair. 

"I'm fine." She looked up and met his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said. They laid in silence for a long moment before he spoke again. "You know being a part of the serpents isn't going to be easy right? Everyone is this town hates us, and they always find a way to blame us for everything. If you wear that symbol on your back, you're making yourself a target, maybe even to your own friends."

Betty raised up slightly and turned her head to look at him. "You're not trying to tell me to leave the serpents again are you?"

"No Betts, I'm telling you that I want you to know what you're getting into. Like I said, it won't be easy." He said seriously. She cupped his face in her hands and smiled at him.

"I don't need easy Jug, I just need you." She said before she kissed him before pulling back and grinning. "And Toni of course."

"Can I ask you something?" He said. She nodded. "You and Toni, did anything happen with you, I mean did you sleep with her?"

"No, It didn't feel right. We weren't together so technically there was nothing wrong with it, but I felt like I was betraying you so I stopped. Nothing happened." She told him. He nodded and seemed to be thinking about something before he looked up at her with a strange expression.

"You know, I just realized that we've both made out with Toni. I feel like that's a little weird, imagine meetings now it's going to be so awkward." He said and Betty laughed.

"I don't think so. Toni is casual about it, and we'll all get over it eventually. At least we have a funny story to tell people." She said and he rolled his eyes.

"I suppose." He said just as her phone dinged with a message. She turned to grab it off the bedside table and saw she had a message from Archie.

'Next time you might want to close the curtains, and the window.'

She dropped the phone as her head whipped toward her window which was indeed still open and the curtains were flung wide. She groaned as she buried her face in her hands and she felt Jughead shift behind her before his hand was on her shoulder.

"What's wrong Betts? Are you okay?" He sounded concerned and she fumbled around to find the phone on the bed and shoved it at him with the message still open. He looked at it before he was suddenly on his feet with the phone in is hand. She saw him pull on his boxers before he slammed the window and pulled the curtains shut. He turned back to face her with an embarrassed look on his face. "Oops."

She threw a pillow at him and glared. "We are never talking about this again. If Archie tries to bring it up, we'll lock him in a closet."

"Duly noted, my love." He said sarcastically with a smirk. She threw the second pillow at him which he dodged as he came over to her and kissed her softly. "I solemnly promise to shove a sock in Archie's mouth if he ever mentions this."

"Good." She said with a small smile on her face.

From that day on they always made sure to close the curtains, and Archie thanked them for not having to be an unintentional voyer again to which Betty actually did lock him in a closet for until he swore to never bring it up again.


	13. The End

Toni had been right about the June wedding. Jughead had proposed right after graduation which had resulted in a quick trip down to city hall which their friends had been furious about and insisted on a real ceremony planned by none other that Veronica Lodge and Toni Topaz. Some people said they were to young but their friends knew they had been through more together than most people after fifty years of marriage ever do. When the time came, Betty asked Archie to walk her down the aisle considering her family turned out to be a raging dumpster fire of issues and though he would deny it later she had seen the tears he shed when he presented her to Jughead and told them to take care of each other. Although the wedding had been planned in part by Veronica, it turned out to be a simple ceremony with only their friends and chosen family present, and Betty suspected that Toni had tempered Veronica's more elaborate plans and the result was something they both loved.

Two years later when it was Archie and Veronica at the alter Betty and Jughead were right beside them, and when it was announced they had a whirlwind wedding because Veronica was carrying precious cargo the celebration lasted well into the night and even continued early in the next morning. They welcomed a beautiful baby boy early in December and gave him the name Ezra and Betty was a proud godmother. When she learned months later that she was expecting her own bundle of joy the first person she called after informing her husband was Archie, and when she had a little girl he was the first to show up at the hospital despite her insisting he could wait until morning. The remembered the vow they made all those years ago in the blue and gold offices, to always tell each other everything.

When it was Toni and Cheryl's turn to take the trip down the aisle they were all there to cheer them on and congratulate them. They spent a few long hard years on the adoption waiting list and every time it fell through they were all there to hold and comfort them and when they were finally given the gift of a small blue eyed toddler everyone came together to celebrate and welcome the new member of the family. They spent holidays and vacations together and never let themselves be dragged down by the world the lived in. They became a family of their own raising from the ashes of their broken lives and soaring with the support of one another.

They all left Riverdale eventually with Veronica and Archie moving to LA so he could pursue his music and Toni and Cheryl moving to New York to get a fresh start and for Cheryl to start a clothing line. Betty and Jughead moved to DC and began working closely with the police to help solve crimes that no one else seemed to be able to crack, but when big events happened they'd all meet up back in the town that made them who they were and they'd spend the time together in a booth at Pop's. For better of worse they never walked away from that town fully but they leaned on each other in times of crisis and celebrated with one another in times of triumph. They all kept the promise to keep in touch and refused to allow themselves to drift apart even when they lived so far from each other.

When you looked at them in the future you wouldn't believe the things they had seen in their small town. If you were just looking in you might see the bitchy red haired girl who ran her business with an iron fist and the beautiful dark skinned girl who had a passion for photography and had her name in the bylines of most major newspapers, or you would see the sensitive musician who put everything into his songs and the dark haired girl that spent her days running a successful casino, or you'd see the investigative duo that solved the toughest cases and were never to for from each other, but you wouldn't see the pain all of them carried with them. You wouldn't see the girl still mourning for a lost twin or the gang members who lost so much, you wouldn't see the broken boy behind the songs who still feared the ghosts from his past would catch up or the girl who was trying desperately not to be like her father. Maybe if you looked close enough you could see it but you'd never understand what they went through to become who the are.

When they met in a booth at Pop's people in the town would stare and whisper, because they knew what most didn't. They knew exactly how they became who they were because they had done nothing to stop it. They had watched as this group of kids went through hell time and again but hadn't lifted a finger to help. Their story was one filled with pain but ultimately they made sure they had more happiness to counteract it, and they made sure that their kids never had to go through what they did. They had looked at their own parents and did everything in their power not to become like them. Riverdale haunted them, but it also gave them the family they held so close so each year they made sure to set aside a few days to come home and remember all the people they lost and all the things that built them into who they were.


End file.
